The Gifts
by sugarquillscribbles
Summary: Just a little story that I set in the Pokemon world of how my boyfriend got me Legendary pokemon for Valentine's Day last year. Oneshot.


I pedaled to a stop by the fence surrounding my home, sighing as I dismounted and leaned the bike against the steady white boards. My lower back ached, the muscle seeming to throb as I stretched slowly and dug my key out of my pocket. Work had been especially vexing today. Customers had been snappy and disrespectful, and nothing had seemed to go right. I had Cheri Berry cobbler spilled down my front, and all I wanted to do was take a shower, lie down with a book, and forget about the day.

On the other side of the fence, Gustave wandered up and lowed happily. "Hey, big fella." I greeted him, stretching out a hand to pat his long neck. "Holding down the fort for me?" Gustave's frills lit up with happiness, and the Aurorus followed me as far as he could until I unlocked the front door. Turning around to place my bag on the peg behind the door, I didn't immediately notice the creature stretched langorously along my sofa.

Its eyes, which had pinned me instantly, glowed in the dim lighting, highlighting fangs that had to be longer than my hand. "Oh-" I squeaked, backing up instinctively and crashing into the back wall. How had it gotten in here? All the doors had been locked, hadn't they? Had it broken in through the window? Heart hammering fiercely in my chest, I fumbled in my pocket for my cell phone. _Oh my God, I don't have any pokeballs on me. I have nothing to defend myself with. Oh my GOD what is that it's huge-_

The creature lifted itself off the couch slowly, stretching like a predator who had absolute confidence in the capture of its prey. Hands shaking furiously, I dialed Liam's number, praying that he was close enough to fly here with Harlan and keep me from being ripped apart by this home intruder. Why hadn't Gustave or the other Pokemon acted agitated? Maybe the Pokemon was just that stealthy.

The monster began to take steps toward me with its huge, saucer-like paws. In my terror, the claws that lined every foot seemed like daggers. Just as I pressed send, the animal got within inches of my face, fangs level with my nose. _This is it...oh, Arceus, it's going to rip me apart- _I waited for what felt like a lifetime. The yellow Pokemon's nostrils flared and its breath hit my face as it sniffed me carefully. Then, after a stretch of frantic heartbeats, it leaned down until it was eye level with me, just watching.

Its red eyes blinked once before it lowered itself onto its haunches in front of me. Frozen with shock, all I could do was watch as it carefully rubbed its wide head against my leg. A breath rushed out of me. I closed my eyes and tried to gain some composure. It was tame. Thank goodness. "Hi, buddy. How'd you get in here?" I said in an unsteady, hopefully reassuring voice.

A deep sound rumbled up from the throat of the Pokemon, and it rose to its feet and calmly padded to my bag, nosing the food pouch roughly. A startled laugh left my throat. The biggest danger this beast was posing was robbing me of the food I'd bought from a restaurant in the city. I was so relieved to know that this Pokemon didn't intend to kill me that I opened the pouch and took out the wax-paper parcel, intending to feed it to my guest. I ripped the hamburger inside the parcel into pieces and placed them on the wooden floor, where the Pokemon devoured them quickly. The long blue tail whipped back and forth in apparent delight. Its tongue scraped against the wooden floor, leaving a slick trail and clearing up any burger crumbs that may have escaped it.

I smiled. It was actually a very good-looking Pokemon. It was unlike any creature I'd ever seen before, with its bright yellow fur interrupted by black streaks here and there. Dull purple fur grew from the back of its head to curl down to its back, reaching almost to the long blue tail. It was...bizarre, but seemed to carry itself with an air of dignity that I couldn't place.

It was just beginning to settle down again and groom itself when the door burst open behind me. Liam barreled into the room, Pokeball ready in hand, panting. "What's-what's going on?" he managed breathlessly, looking with wide eyes from me to the Pokemon. It had barely paused in its grooming to acknowledge Liam's noisy arrival. It was hard to believe that just minutes before, I had been paralyzed and completely certain that it was about to kill me.

"This Pokemon got into the house," I explained. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my phone on the ground near my feet, where I must have dropped it in my fear. The screen was lit, displaying four missed calls from Liam. Embarrassment flooded through me. "Sorry to have freaked you out. I really thought it was going to try and attack me, but as you can see...it just wanted my burger." I chuckled a little.

Liam looked at me, expression not changing for a few seconds. Then he relaxed, just a fraction, and grinned. "Mabbina. Didn't you read the note?" Befuddled, I frowned. "What note?" Rolling his eyes a little, mouth still turned up in a smirk, Liam reached over and grabbed my purse, unzipping the small pocket where I kept my compact. He rooted around for a second and produced a small folded-up piece of notebook paper. "Look, you goof." He unfolded it for me to read. In his familiar, scrawling handwriting were the words

_Hey Mabby! I got you something, it's waiting for you when you get home. So don't be freaked out, he's very docile. Happy early Valentine's Day! Love you! -Liam_

Slowly, I put the note down. "You...got me this? _How?" _"I have my ways," he replied slyly. I beamed at him. "Well, thank you. He's wonderful. What's he called?" "Raikou." Liam answered, kneeling down to stroke the creature's wide head. Reflexively reaching for my Pokedex, I typed in the name and read over the entry. "Whoa... is this...Liam, is this a legendary Pokemon?" I whispered.

Watching me carefully, seeming to enjoy my surprise, he nodded. "Yup. Raikou, descendant of thunder. Pretty awesome, right?" "That's an understatement!" I laughed. He got up from petting Raikou and hugged me. "I love you," he said sweetly, kissing my forehead. "I love you too. And I love my gift. But I didn't really like what it came with." I said, burrowing into his shoulder. "What's that?" he asked. "A heart attack." I replied weakly. He was still guffawing when I pulled away.


End file.
